Systems are known to protect people and assets within secured areas. Such systems are typically based upon the use of one more sensors that detect threats within the secured area.
Threats to people and assets may originate from any of a number of different sources. For example, an unauthorized intruder, such as a burglar, may present a threat to assets within a secured area. Alternatively, where a secured area includes roadways, a car that is being driven recklessly in violation of traffic regulations presents a different threat. Intruders or suspected criminals can also injure or kill people living within the area.
In many areas, such as airports, public buildings or roadways, it is impractical to automate the capture, detection and reporting of threats in real time. In these situations, one or more guards in a security center may monitor the secured area via a number of security cameras and other sensors located throughout the area. In many cases, a number of pan-tilt-zoom cameras are used to help guards and to allow a guard to scrutinize the secured area in more detail.
One or more of the cameras may record traffic on roadways adjacent or through the secured area. In order to detect impending threats, a process operating in the background (based upon use of a camera or security center) may detect license plates on passing cars and compare the license number with lists of license plates of known threats (e.g., terrorists).
While the detection of license plates is effective in detecting some situations, it is also useful to retrieve and search archival video for license plates of cars that are later involved in security breaches. This is useful in forensic studies intended to better understand the evolution of such breaches.
In support of this need, many systems record video of traffic for later review. If a need later arises for determining if a license plate was detected at some earlier time, a user may enter an identifier of a license plate and search the archive for the license plate. While this process is effective, a need exists for better methods of using such information.